What to look for when buying a mobile phone
One of the hardest things to buy in my book, is a mobile phone. The reason being that the selection out there is so vast and varied that you would do to be boggled by the choices available to you. However, in my recent phone buying experience, I drew up a little checklist anyone might find useful, when buying a mobile phone.
This checklist wouldn’t be applicable for anyone who already has their heart set on a particular brand or model though. It is for people like me who suddenly find a need for a new mobile phone (in my case due to theft) and don’t have a particular brand or model in mind.
- Budget - I set myself a budget and tried to work within my budget. Many good phones can be bought for under RM1,000 as I found out.
- Specifications - Work out what you want in a mobile phone and then work within budget. I wanted a phone that could make and receive calls, send and receive SMS, have a decent camera, have bluetooth, and is slim. Others might place emphasis on a good radio or on a good camera. I was less fussy about those bells and whistles.
- Original sets - I always believe in getting an original set i.e. one with an original warranty because if a problem arises with the phone you can always take it to the original manufacturer to be repaired or replaced if needs be. I am aware of sets known as AP sets which are cheaper but these sets aren’t covered by a manufacturer’s warranty and are thus at risk.
- Know your retail price - Always know the original retail price before you start your shopping. A friend got conned by a vendor who tried to sell him a phone at higher than retail. I too was quoted higher than retail rates before, so always check the retail prices before starting
- Shop around - From experience, I’ve found that shopping around a few different mobile phone vendors will give you a good idea of what a fair price should be before you start bargaining.
- Bargain - If you buy from a reseller in Sungei Wang Plaza or Low Yat Plaza, then you can bargain with them for a good price, or have them throw in some freebies. Some are willing to oblige if they want to close a sale. I ended up buying from one of the vendors because he gave me a good price without too much haggling, and was honest and pleasant which plays a big part my decision to buy from any particular vendor.
- Check the phone before accepting it - A friend found that a phone he bought was filled with unknown numbers. It turned out it was a phone that had been used before that by persons unknown. Once it was pointed out to the vendors they were quick to replace it with another new set.
This list is by no means exhaustive and if you have any further tips to add, feel free to leave a comment. I’m sure it’ll help someone out there who might be shopping for a mobile phone too! Incidentally, I ended up with a Samsung D900i for RM880. It fulfilled most of my requirements so I was happy.
Picture credit of Hachimaki
My Chicwear.com.my package is here!
Whee! After reading about Giddy Tiger’s experience shopping on Chicwear.com.my I surfed on over and investigated the site. Lo and behold! They are having a sale! So, I checked out their hot picks and picked up a nightgown for a mere RM39 from the normal retail of RM129!
The package came today – in a lovely red box.
And nestled inside, nicely wrapped up in thin tissue and prettily presented, was my nightgown. It looks and feels soft and satiny. The stitching looks well done and the material is slightly thicker than usual satin which I would expect would make for it to fall better.
You cannot beat them for presentation though. I can just imagine how this would look were it to have come as a gift! I’ll review Chicwear.com.my another day. For now, I’m dying to go home and try it on to see if it fits.
Look at Blook – fashion retail store
I used to frequent Blook when it was 2 shop lots in Bangsar. They had trendy and contemporary clothes at very affordable prices which made it an attractive shopping experience. Their sales were also a very good time to pick up past season items at good prices.
Recently, Blook underwent some form of rebranding and transformation and they are now one big clothes boutique on Jalan Telawi (down from McDonalds) with a slightly more upmarket feel to the layout of the place. I’m happy to note however, that the prices of the clothes were not similarly raised.
Blook now has a section for evening dresses at very affordable prices – between RM129-RM300 and I think it would be a good place to start looking, for those who have dinners to attend or even proms. Some of the tops did have a little bit of an “aunty” look about them, but I suppose they cater to different tastes and different age groups who go through the store.
I rather liked some of the tops I saw there. I’m on the lookout for tops – shirts, blouses – and I liked what I saw. Blook is presently having a Year End Sale from now until November 30. There are items going for up to 70% off which is a steal!
I popped by and got a dress last weekend for 50% off i.e. RM39.50 down from RM79. I did try on many other sale stuff, but nothing else caught my fancy. There were some previous season dresses going for about RM40 which is a steal, if you can wear them or have an occasion to. Maybe I’ll check out their other outlet in 1 Utama this weekend to see what else I can scoop up.
Blook outlets are found at Bangsar (Telawi), Bandar Utama (1st Floor 1 Utama) and Subang Parade. They have an outlet called Elo as well, for accessories.
What I got from the Lancome warehouse sale
I haven’t been doing a lot of warehouse sale-ing. But I couldn’t pass up the chance to go to the Lancome warehouse sale which is on today and tomorrow. I haven’t been for a cosmetics sale in a while, plus I was meeting up with a friend there.
Anyway, this is all I ended up with from the sale. 3 tubes of Biotherm Sunfitness 50SPF sunscreen (not all mine) and a tube of Flextencils mascara in brown. I really like the Flextencils mascara which I have reviewed. I hear its already discontinued so I decided to only get 1 tube. Mascara dries up fast and I didn’t want to run the risk of having old stock on hand.
The Flextencils mascara cost RM50 (RRP RM90) and the Biotherm Sunfitness sunscreen cost RM40 a tube (RRP RM85). Not super duper cheap, but still lots of savings.
If you are familiar with the Lancome warehouse sales, I have to say that this one is rather small. The only makeup they have is by Lancome (lipsticks, juicy tubes, eyeshadows, palettes, foundation, blushes) and Biotherm foundation and makeup base (RM70). They have lots of Lancome and Biotherm skincare and a smallish selection of perfumes.
I’d say this is the smaller Lancome warehouse sale as opposed to the large one which usually has Shu Uemura and Giorgio Armani cosmetics on hand as well as loads and loads of perfumes. But if you are a Lancome or Biotherm skincare and cosmetics user, this would be a good sale to hit. 
Here’s the sale info:
Location: Ballroom 1 & 2 10th Floor, Crown Princess Hotel, City Square centre
Time: 1 Nov 2007 12pm to 8pm, 2 Nov 2007 10pm to 6pm.
Have fun!